Chapter 13 More Mysteries?

Shaking my head violently, I snapped out of the sudden trance I was in before looking at the Sword In The Stone (Bath), with a strange expression on my face.

To be perfectly honest, I didn't know what to do in this sought of situation.

Some part of me wanted to pick it up, but another wondered if I even had the potential to lift up the Sword In The Bath.

This was the Sword that started the legend of one of the most famous Kings, and an even greater Heroic Spirit. It was a Sword Of Selection. A Sword that granted a wish at the cost of a persons humanity.

A Sword that would save everyone by killing everyone.

The person that would pull this Sword out would find themselves unable to age, an existence that was "inhuman", or other than human.

If it turned someone like Artoria into the person that she was, then would it still be considered a "holy sword", I thought?

I glanced around. Just from the sounds of splashing I could hear, other disciples were obviously coming closer towards where I was sitting. I had to make a decision here and now. Whether I adhered the the promise written on the blade I didn't know.

..... Hell, I didn't even know if I could pick up the damn sword.

I let out a deep breath and another gulp as I reached out towards the Sword of Selection.

The Golden Sword Of The Victorious, Caliburn.

It seemed almost anticlimactic considering I had seen Artoria actually pull out the Sword herself. Even if it was only a brief scene, it was one that raised the hairs on the back of my neck, one that sent shivers down my spine.

The words of a certain bastard son came to mind.

".... Yeah, once you pick up this sword, there is only a cruel fate ahead.....".

I frowned deeply before shaking my head.

I didn't know if I would follow the same path as Artoria did. I didn't know if what awaited me was a lifetime of sorrow. I didn't even know if I believed in what Artoria did.

Her original personality was very much similar to Shirou. Wholehearted believing that if helping others was possible, than it was completely and truly the best thing to do.

I was selfish, definitely not altruistic. I doubted my ability to even hold onto the Sword of Selection.

I steeled my sudden resolve, temporarily forgetting where I was, or what I was originally doing here.

Reaching out towards Caliburn, I let out a deep breath before gripping the hilt with a single hand.

It was too small to use with two-hands, which is why I thought that the sword would be better suited to someone of a smaller stature.

Even so-.

My breath hitched as the sound of metal rubbing against stone filled my ears. The absolute weightlessness of the Sword, the smooth and clean cut that it created in the stone below, the golden coloured radiance it created cut through the steamy mist and revealed a golden coloured radiance to the enter hot spring.

Normally, there would definitely be some sort of commotion if a bright coloured light suddenly illuminated the entire hot spring. However, as the golden coloured light slowly vanished from the area, not a single trance of my being there was left in the hot spring.

With the sole exception of a small cut in the ground, nothing but steam filled the air around the hot spring.

I didn't really plan on it, but getting the literal fuck out of there seemed like the best option at the time. Considering that the Type Moon System could hold any item that originated from it, I gracefully used that ability to quickly make my getaway out of the Male Worker Disciple Baths, ignoring all mutters and whispers about a "golden coloured light" filling the hot spring.

Even now, after returning back to my room my mind was still racing at a million miles per hour.

Pulling out the Sword Of Selection was a sign. A sign that I would try to become the rightful King Of Britain.

Considering that there was no Britain in this world, how I would go about becoming the rightful King of something that didn't exist seemed to work in my favour.

However, the fact remained that once I pulled out the Sword, its Mystery would prevent me from aging, and that I would become something other than "human" once I pulled it out.

Additionally, there was the possibility of this Sword working differently considering this was a foreign world of sorts. Although Rin and I had found proof that foreign Mysteries existed, we still hadn't found any sort of foreign Magecraft or Magic.

So, if the Sword of Selection still possessed the same Mystery as it did in the previous world, how would it work considering that firstly, there was no Britain, and secondly, that "I", instead of Artoria, was its wielder?

I let out a deep breath, suddenly feeling my heart rate slow significantly.

The fact that I suddenly had more control over my body, especially my heartrate caused some alarms to ring off in my mind, but I ignored them and focused on the matter at hand.

"Okay..... Other than the fact that I am now the rightful King Of Britain, what else did I summon for in the baths?".

A huge pile of stuff was suddenly released from the Type Moon System, most of it being the same as what I had summoned last time, although with a couple exceptions.....

There was an Azoth Blade sitting in front of me, in addition to there being a Bronze-Link Manipulator hidden at the bottom of the pile.

Other than that, some more Runestones, and another one of Rin's Pendants could be seen. Additionally, there was some sort of "knowledge"? that I suddenly now knew. Something that I couldn't have any possible recollection on, especially considering that it was a incantation for a specific Magecraft.

I looked down at my hand.

I didn't know if this would work properly, but I gave it a go nonetheless.

"Fugu, Kongou, Dakatsu, Taiten, Chougyou, Ouken".

I felt a thrum of magical energy surge within me. Even despite my Magic Circuits being of a pretty crap quality, I still managed to get the incantation, along with all related Mysteries correct, causing a bright yellow coloured shield to appear before me.

A metaphysical image of a three-layered barrier appeared in front of me.

Various strokes of kanji, or some other Eastern language appeared on the barrier. I could recognise the symbols and the historical and magical significance behind them, but anything further than that I couldn't really know for sure.

Considering that there were thousands of different forms of kanji relating to Magecraft, where even the ink used and the stroke order either improved or destroyed the spell entirely, there were some huge gaps in my mind relating to Taiji and other Onmyodo.

In fact, other than this spell here, I didn't know any other forms of Magecraft.

..... I mean to be fair I hadn't even been a Mage for a full day yet, but still.....

I nodded, thinking that on its own, "Three-fold Barrier" was pretty good. I mean, I had Caliburn as an offensive weapon and this spell when I needed to go on the defensive. All I needed now was something to augment my speed and I was good to go.

Feeling the surge of magical energy course through my body, I couldn't help but let out a pleasurable sigh as they travelled towards the tips of my fingers, eventually flowing into Caliburn which was being held in my hand.

There was a connection between this weapon and I now. Not going so far as to call it "my" Noble Phantasm, but it definitely wasn't, and could now never be the Noble Phantasm that belonged to Artoria or Arthur Pendragon.

Since Noble Phantasms were the crystallised mystery of a Heroic Spirits legend, something like this, that went against Artoria and Arthur's legend could no longer be considered just "Caliburn".

This was, the crystallisation of my "Mystery". As this Caliburn now belonged to me.

It would be like comparing the Rhongomyniad that belonged to the King Of Lions herself, to the Rhongomyniad that belonged to Gray.

There wasn't just a difference in History, but also Mystery considering that one had been existing longer than the other.

Even with a depreciation in Mystery around the world, the fact that it is older, and thus possesses a much longer Mystery means that theoretically, even if the power hasn't increased, it shouldn't of faded.

That only meant that the depreciation of Mystery was happening faster than the growing strength of a Mystery.

..... At the very least, in this world, a world without a depreciation in Mystery, the Sword of Selection, would definitely grow as its Mystery gradually changed.

Even if I never became the "rightful King Of Britain", the fact that this sword grew stronger as I become closer and closer to the "proper, perfected King" only gave me one question.

"What was the definition of a "proper, perfected King"?".